Saab Gripen
Background The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (griffin) is a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. It was designed to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen in the Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet). The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire technology. It is powered by the Volvo RM12, and has a top speed of Mach 2. Later aircraft are equipped for NATO interoperability standards and to undertake in-flight refuelling; most export aircraft have these capabilities. In 1979, the Swedish government began development studies for an aircraft capable of fighter, attack and reconnaissance missions to replace the Saab 35 Draken and 37 Viggen. A new design from Saab was selected and developed as the JAS 39, first flying in 1988. Following two crashes during flight development and subsequent alterations to the aircraft's flight control software, the Gripen entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1997. Upgraded variants, featuring more advanced avionics and adaptations for longer mission times, began entering service from 2003 onwards. In order to market the aircraft to export customers, Saab has formed several partnerships and collaborative efforts with multiple overseas aerospace companies. One example of such efforts was Gripen International, a joint partnership between Saab and BAE Systems formed in 2001. Gripen International was responsible for marketing the aircraft, and was heavily involved in the successful export of the type to South Africa; the organization was later dissolved amidst allegations of bribery being employed to secure foreign interest and sales. On the export market, the Gripen has achieved moderate success in sales to nations in Central Europe, South Africa and Southeast Asia. As of 2012, more than 240 Gripens have been delivered or ordered. A further development, designated Gripen JAS 39 E/F, is under development as of 2014; it was previously referred to as Gripen NG or Super-JAS.5 Amongst the changes includes the adoption of a new powerplant, the General Electric F414G, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and significantly increased onboard fuel capacity. Other derivatives, including a navalised Sea Gripen for carrier operations and an optionally-manned aircraft capable of unmanned operations, have also been proposed by Saab. The Gripen NG has been ordered by Sweden and has been selected for procurement by Brazil and Switzerland. Model Type - SAAB Gripen Class - Multi-role Fighter Crew - 1 SDC By Location Nose/Cockpit 180 Main Body/fuselage 520 Wings (2) 160 Tailplanes (2) 110 Engines 240 AR - 11 Armour - Stops upto and including 22cal pistol rounds. Explosive and ramjet rounds are still effective. Speed Flying - Mach 2 at high altitude, mach 1.1 at low altitude Range - Combat Radius 800km Altitude - 15240m (50000 ft) Statistics Height - 4.5m Length - 14.1m Width - 8.4m (wingspan) Weight - 14 tons maximum, 6.8 tons empty, 8.5 tons loaded Cargo - Minimal survival gear Power System - 1× Volvo Aero RM12 afterburning turbofan Cost - million dollars US Weapons Weapon Type - 27mm autocannon Primary Purpose - anti-aircraft Range - 2400m Damage - 6d6x10 per 10 round burst Rate Of Fire - equal to pilots attacks Payload - 120 rounds Bonuses - na Weapon Type - Hardpoints (7, 3 per wing, 1 main body) Primary Purpose - Anti-fighter, anti-installation Range - As per missile type Damage - As per missile type Rate Of Fire - 1 at a time equal to pilot attacks or volleys of 1-7 mini misiles Payload - per hardpoint: 1 Lt HE, HE or Heavy HE Air to Air Missile or 1 Lt HE, HE or Heavy HE Air to Surface Missile or or 1 Lt HE or HE Bomb or 1 7-shot HE mini missile launcher Bonuses - +1 strike with missiles, +1 strike wih guided bombs, na with mini missiles bonuses and penalities use vehicle combat training and combat flying +1 attack level 6 and 12 +1 dodge at level 4, 8 and 12 +1 strike ranged +10% to piloting rolls Systems of Note Radar - Range of 200 miles (370km). Able to track upto 24 targets, display 18 targets and lock onto 6 targets at once. Radar Warning Receiver - Warns of potential Radar Lock. Range - 200 miles ECM Pod - -20% penalty to opposing radar/sensor operators to detect the F-14 Chaff/Flare Dispensers - 75% to cause locked on missiles to lose lock and fly off elsewhere. Targeting Computer - +1 to strike with all on board weapon systems Combat Computer - Identifies Friend or Foe and is tied to the radar System. FLIR - Advanced forward looking infa-red system for night operations GPS/Inertial Navigation System. Communications - range 500km, can beboosted by satellite uplink Ejection Systems - Ejects Pilot and Radar Officer from damaged aircraft. References Used Wikipedia